Thank You, Finn
by AwakeningAngels
Summary: Kurt gets Rachel to join him in a New Directions Thanksgiving outing in remembrance of the late Finn Hudson.


**Author's Note**: Here's my new Thanksgiving one-shot for you guys. I can't wait for you guys to read it. Reviews are appreciated, and have a wonderful holiday.

**Summary**: Kurt gets Rachel to join him in a New Directions Thanksgiving outing in remembrance of the late Finn Hudson.

**Featured Pairings**: Furt (Finn/Kurt), Finchel (Finn/Rachel), Kurtcedes (Kurt/Mercedes), Blamtina (Blaine/Sam/Tina), Pezberry (Santana/Rachel), minor!Jyder (Jake/Ryder), minor!Kittina (Kitty/Tina), minor!Mikecedes (Mike/Mercedes), implied!Dantana (Dani/Santana), implied!Brittana (Brittany/Santana)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to _Glee_. All of the rights to the show go to Ryan Murphy and Co., and Twentieth Century Fox.

* * *

"Rachel?" Kurt dismissed his daily routine of brewing up his favorite morning coffee to follow the occasional sniffs coming from his best friend's bedroom. Making his way past the couches and such placed all around the New York loft, Kurt stopped at the entrance of Rachel's bedroom, listening closely as the sniffles got a bit louder. "Rachel, can you hear me?" he called again without receiving any answer.

He hasn't really seen Rachel for about a couple of days, regardless of the two's jobs at the Spotlight Diner with Santana. They both worked really tough shifts for the past week, so they couldn't get a word out to each other for three seconds, to be fully honest. Between making orders for people at their tables, cleaning up, and serving the food that the chefs worked so hard on to create, it was a long battle that seemed to never end.

But now, Kurt had the chance to be alone with two of his high school friends.

Well, not really. At least not now.

Santana was off somewhere at a 24-hour karaoke club with her newly-found girlfriend, Dani. Ever since the two encountered at the Spotlight Diner – Dani just so happened to work there, along with Santana and her loft friends – they got closer than ever, and spent a lot of time together aside from work. The former high school cheerleader was very smitten around her when she realized that she might have a possible crush on her, as Rachel hinted. Kurt didn't think it would be possible ever since Santana's last encounter with her former girlfriend, Brittany Pierce, who was pursuing college life in Massachusetts at the moment.

As far as Rachel was concerned…well, Kurt wasn't really sure. She seemed so happy and supportive these past few months as she was assisting Kurt with some auditions for Broadway productions he had gotten interested in. As much as the Vogue intern was flattered to have Rachel by her side, he knew she wasn't truthfully happy. He could almost put his finger on it.

Without receiving an answer, Kurt peeked his head through Rachel's doorway and took in the scene before him. A bunch of magazines were scattered all over the floor and on the bed – the poor girl was probably bored out of her mind – as well as a blanket that must have been kicked to the end of the bed. Rachel's cell phone sat on the mattress beside her, along with a pile of photos that she found in a brown keepsake box. Kurt's eyes drew from the pictures sitting on the bed to the Broadway-bound woman near the edge of her bed, looking down at one of the photos and crying. Kurt didn't notice it at first, but he could almost see a name written in black permanent ink on Rachel's brown box.

_Finn Hudson_.

Going from concerned to worried, Kurt watched as his best friend continue to cry as she gazed upon a photo of what looked to be Rachel and her fiancé with a small child from the homeless shelter the glee club had gone to last Christmas. It had been a few months since Finn Hudson's death. It was probably the most devastating time for everyone, more so for Rachel.

It was about four weeks after his funeral when Kurt noticed a calmer Rachel Berry, though he also noticed something off about her. Months passed, and her focus on Finn went away, and she took in the opportunities and excitement around her. She looked so carefree, as if Finn never died at all. However, whenever she would be reminded of the tall former quarterback, her demeanor changes to the point where everything stops in time, and flashbacks play like a bootleg copy of _The Notebook_ or some kind of romance movie on a DVD player.

Kurt thought about walking in the room to comfort her, as he always did when Rachel was feeling depressed at these times. All of a sudden, an idea hit him. Before he went in to deal with Rachel, he darted towards his phone on the living room coffee table to make a call.

"Dad," Kurt called to his father back in Lima, Ohio. "Yeah, it's me. I'm coming down there. I have a preposition to make." The porcelain male continued to listen to his father's response. "Yeah, in a few minutes. After I settle Rachel down."

* * *

Lima, Ohio was just as cold in November as New York was, to Kurt. The cold wind hit Kurt's cheeks at every chance it got as he made it to the Lima airport and on his way to his parents' house. Kurt missed living there. He doesn't get to see his friends and family often since he has school and his shifts at the Spotlight Diner. So many memories were made, and Kurt was going to miss them all.

This year, Kurt was going to make sure he made a memory that every member from New Directions – not just Rachel – would never forget.

Burt was standing outside of the house, watching his son climb out of the taxi outside with a black backpack, and embraced him a warm, loving hug. "It's good to have you back home, buddy."

"My pleasure, Dad." Kurt responded with a grin on his face, savoring this moment for nearly the rest of his life. The two went on inside the house and closed the door behind him. Thank God, for Kurt, that Carole had turned the heat on like she always did before the December cold came along.

Kurt gave a humble smile towards the Christmas decorations that literally painted a warm and cozy picture before Kurt's eyes. The tree, plastered with red and yellow lights, peppermint candy canes, and some of the ornaments Kurt made when he was around eight years old, sat by the window to display to all of the people outside who just so happened to walk by. More lights were hung around the room, and the fireplace – Kurt loved the fireplace around this time of year – had a warm fire going.

"Welcome home, Kurt!" Kurt whirled around and noticed Carole walking towards him, embracing the college student in a hug, and Kurt returned the favor. "We got a call from you back in New York. What brings you here so early? Thanksgiving doesn't start for another three days."

"That's actually what I wanted to discuss." Kurt replied, as-a-matter-of-factly, beckoning his parents into the living room where all of the decorations were hung. Burt and Carole sat on the couch next to the stereo, which was decorated with green and red bows for the Christmas occasion. Kurt took a seat in a wooden chair in the middle of the room, his left arm being a little exposed to the heat coming from the fireplace beside him. "I wanted to make a small preposition for the holidays, if that's okay."

Burt inched up an eyebrow with interest. "We're not putting on an impromptu performance of _Wicked_ again, are we?" he joked, earning a slap on the chest from his wife.

"No, no, Dad," Kurt told him, unable to hide his smile after the joke his father made. "It's something else." He sighed for a moment. "It's about Rachel. I found her in her room crying today, and…well, I guess she's trying to get used to the fact that she won't be able to celebrate the holidays with her boyfriend." He noticed Carole giving him an understandable nod. "And once again, I'm sorry for your loss," he told her with remorse.

"I have no right to blame her," Carole responded, folding her hands together. "I mean, everything happened so fast, and…well, we all miss Finn. But it's good to know that my son is in a better place."

Kurt nodded. "To tell the truth, there are times were I haven't gotten over the fact that Finn passed away. A lot of people he's gotten to know can't get over it, really." There was a silence in the air before Kurt spoke up again. "Which is why I kind of have an idea to honor him for the holidays this year." Burt and Carole continued to listen. "We gather up everyone from the glee club – former and current – along with their parents, and we can have a Thanksgiving outing of some sort."

"I'm in." Burt replied before Kurt could finish his pitch. He would do anything to support both of his sons, whether dead or alive, and that was the one thing Kurt loved about his father.

"Kurt, what do you plan to do?" Carole asked, wanting more information.

"Well, we could have a glee family Thanksgiving football game out on the field by McKinley," Kurt suggested, "and we can perhaps go out to a restaurant and have some type of Thanksgiving dinner of our own…you know, aside from the main dinner on Thanksgiving Day."

"Once again, I'm in," Burt said, lifting a hand, which made the two men giggle.

"Well, Kurt…" Carole started, clapping her hands together. "I think it is a wonderful idea. And I thank you so much for it. I think it's the kind of thing we need this year." Hearing the words coming from his stepmother's mouth, Kurt smile with the hope of his plan working out for everyone, especially his parents and Rachel.

* * *

"Thank you, Gordon. Great session today!" A satisfied Mercedes Jones called to her manager inside the Juicy Jams recording studio. After a day of singing her heart out to her new album songs, Mercedes had a long day, and felt like relaxing and listening to some calm holiday music.

The LA-bound woman walked out of the studio and strode down the California sidewalks, attempting to find her parked rental car at the end of the block. She unlocked the car from a distance and placed her purse in the trunk. At that moment, she heard the _Dreamgirls_ ringtone go off in her pocket, and she reached for her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Girl, LA didn't change you at all." Kurt teased, giggling at the sound of Mercedes' wonderful voice.

"Now how's my favorite Hummel in the world?" Mercedes asked with a smirk, closing the trunk of her car and getting in the driver's seat.

"I'm the only Hummel you know," Kurt replied, making Mercedes laugh.

"I know, I know," Mercedes told him, checking herself in the mirror hanging from the roof of the inside of the car. "So what's up, Kurt?"

"I have an idea for the Thanksgiving holiday, but I need your help to make it happen." Kurt announced. "And I called Mike Chang from Chicago, and he's in."

"For Thanksgiving, eh?" Mercedes asked, interested. "I'm listening."

* * *

The following day, Sam was helping with some of the decorations for his parents' apartment in Lima. They decided to rent the place in Lima while Sam was still in high school. The living room had many Christmas decorations thrown on the floor in boxes marked "Christmas décor", and Sam was assisting with his father on the Christmas lights. Before they could continue, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Sam spoke through the speaker hanging beside the Evans family apartment door.

"We come bearing friends, good sir." The blonde could hear an awful English accent through the speaker, which made him giggle a bit. Sam made his way downstairs and to the front door of the building, where he noticed two familiar people at the doorstep: Blaine Anderson and Tina Cohen-Chang.

"Hey, guys," Sam told them. "What are you doing here?"

"Thanksgiving is coming up, and Kurt wanted us to ask you a favor," Tina told the blonde before her, which made him frown in confusion.

"It's to honor Finn Hudson," Blaine added. "He wanted everyone in New Directions to participate in an outing to remember and honor his legacy. We were wondering if you and the Evans family members could participate."

Pondering over the idea for a couple of moments, Sam finally came to a conclusion. "I'm in."

* * *

"Come on, Berry. You've been in that bed longer than the streaming of an NFL Super Bowl game on TiVo," Santana told the brunette before her, who was trying to block Santana's sound and make herself fall back asleep. "Besides, I wanted to go out today."

"Santana, as much as I'm flattered that you wanted to have a girls' day out with me, I'm honestly not in the mood." Rachel took the covers and placed them over her head. However, Santana was attempting to pull them directly off her. Rachel, since she slept over fifteen hours, was too weak to put up with Santana's protests.

"Well, Kurt told me that I should be making every sacrifice to get you out of bed," Santana told Rachel, "and if that means that I have to do an annoying-ass impromptu performance of _Mamma Mia_ or _It's A Small World_ from that crappy Disney ride just to chase you out of this room, then so be it."

Reluctantly giving up on resisting Santana's orders, Rachel slowly left her bed and zombie-walked her way to the bathroom to take a warm shower. "Fine then, but tell Kurt that I am not going to forgive him since he woke me up from my dream of having my first encounter with Barbra Streisand."

"Trust me," Santana responded, "you're gonna end up kissing him on every spot on his cheeks once the day ends."

"What does that even mean?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Giving in to Santana's promises, Rachel went with her to the New York airport with a suitcase, flying all the way back to Lima for…well, whatever they were going to Lima for. Santana never really told Rachel the reason for flying back to Ohio, despite the holidays rolling around. She planned on keeping it a secret from Rachel until they made it to Lima, which had the Broadway-bound star feeling impatient throughout the whole ride.

Once they made it to the Lima airport, they hailed a taxi and made their way around town. Rachel folded her arms as she gazed upon the downtown area of Lima they were passing. "Santana, I really don't understand your purpose of flying back to Lima. As much as I want to see my friends and family, I'm just not in the mood today –"

"For God's sakes, lighten up for once." Santana encouraged, placing a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Trust me, once we get there, you'll be happier than Grease Head when he proposed to Elmo in the McKinley High swimming pool area."

"You've been telling me to trust you all morning," Rachel replied, unimpressed, "yet we've just been riding around for the past few hours."

"Just be patient. We'll be there in about a few minutes," Santana assured, and the inside of the taxi had gotten quiet again.

About twenty-five minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of McKinley High, one of the unlikely places Rachel thought about visiting on their trip to Ohio. She missed the area, though. She remembered the day that a flock of Cheerios had slushied her in the parking lot on the third day of school, and she was forced to hide away in the bathroom for an hour just to remove the slush and stains. Now that she lived in New York, she was untouchable.

The driver helped Santana and Rachel get their bags out of the trunk, and the duo walked around the parking lot as the driver returned back to the airport. Santana noticed the reluctant look on her face, and linked arms with her, trying to comfort her. However, it didn't seem to help.

"Now are you going to tell me what we're doing here?" Rachel asked, impatient. "Why are we back here at McKinley? They're supposed to be out of school for Thanksgiving break, aren't they?"

Santana nodded. "Sure, they are." She answered. "But there's one thing going on that I didn't want you to miss out on." Before Rachel could say anything, Santana tugged at Rachel's hand and made their way towards the football field, walking past the entrance gates. Once they made it through the perimeter, they both stopped, taking in the sight before them. Rachel had a shocked facial expression showing on her face, and Santana couldn't help but smile.

A whole crowd of families of the former and current glee club members were standing there on the edge of the football field, smiling sweetly at Rachel and Santana's presence. Will and Emma, the happily-married couple, stood near the side of the bleachers, Will's arm around Emma. Behind them, there was a table with a whole bunch of prizes and games and such set up for the younger kids and some of the teenagers. What caught Rachel's eye, though, was the orange banner hanging above the table with Finn Hudson's face and upper body on it. In dark brown words, it read, "Thank you, Finn Hudson" going across. Somewhere on the inside, Rachel could feel tears coming in her eyes.

"Welcome home, Rachel Berry," the petite brunette could hear Blaine Anderson's voice from a distance. He stood in the center of the crowd, wearing a red football jersey under his jacket with the number five imprinted on it. Surprisingly, he wasn't the only one wearing a jersey. Sam Evans and Artie Abrams both had red jerseys on with the same number, as did Noah and Jake Puckerman, Ryder Lynn, Mike Chang, and Joe Hart. There were some dads in the crowd with a blue jersey on under their coats, along with Will Schuester, but they still had the same number five on it.

_That was Finn's favorite number_, Rachel thought in the back of her mind.

"I guess Santana did a good job keeping the secret," Kurt spoke up, glancing over at Santana as he gave her a wink. The Latina girl winked back.

"W-what's all of this for?" Rachel asked, ignoring how teary-eyed she was getting.

"Kurt told us about what happened, Rachel," Mercedes spoke up, walking towards her. Rachel noticed that she had a gray T-Shirt on with Finn's picture on it under her black coat. "We knew that we wouldn't be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Finn anymore now that he has moved on, and we understood how devastated you would be to be alone for the holidays this year."

"So Kurt came up with the idea of bringing all of us together for a little Thanksgiving outing in remembrance of our fallen quarterback," Mike Chang proudly spoke up, gesturing towards the banner that was hanging above the table.

"Most of all, we took part in this for you, Rachel." Rachel heard and recognized that feminine angel voice somewhere in the crowd. She smiled sweetly as she noticed Quinn Fabray walk towards her with sympathetic eyes. "You've been through a lot, more than any of us has ever since Finn died, and…we wanted to give you all of this as a get-better present."

It got quiet as Rachel looked around, a tear freely falling from her cheek. "I…" she began, trying to get her words together. "I don't know what to say…" She turned towards Kurt, who stood there with a smile on his face towards his best friend. "You guys mean the world to me," Rachel told everyone, more tears coming down. "And yes, I have been upset lately after remembering that fateful day when Finn was taken away from us. That day will always linger in my heart forever." She noticed some people in the crowd tearing up a bit. Mike even allowed Mercedes to lean on his shoulder for a bit.

Rachel sniffled a bit, for she got a little emotional during her speech, and it was about forty degrees outside. "I don't think I could ever ask for anyone better than you guys or Finn. You all make me feel so proud to be a part of the New Directions family, and I thank you all for doing this. Finn would've loved it so much."

Santana, who seemed pretty warmed up by Rachel's speech, embraced the girl in a soft hug. This urged other alumni members of New Directions, along with some of the current members, to go over and take part in the group hug. Rachel hadn't felt so warm in the longest time, physically and emotionally.

Once everyone had let go, Rachel wiped away the tears and gazed at everyone's faces. "Now, tears aside, I say we should have ourselves a little fun!" She cheered along with the other people before her, and they scattered around the field to get started on festivities.

* * *

Rachel and Santana, bringing their things to the bleachers, found a seat for them to sit in the middle so they could watch the New Directions boys compete with their fathers in a Thanksgiving football game. Sam, Artie, Ryder, Joe, Jake, Puck, and Blaine were on the right side, preparing themselves to tackle on their fathers and Will respectively. Unexpectedly joining Rachel and Santana were Tina Cohen-Chang, Kitty Wilde, and Brittany S. Pierce, all dressed in a Cheerios uniform. Santana couldn't help but embrace her former girlfriend in a loving hug.

"You know, it's kind of funny, but I feel like I'm an actual cheerleader for the Green Bay Packers," Kitty told Tina with a shrug, holding some red and white pompons in her hands. "And Tee, aren't you glad I was able to swipe that uniform away from Sue's office? It's like you haven't left the Cheerios at all."

"Not saying that I've always wanted to be a Cheerio," Tina replied, "but it kinda feels good to wear the infamous leotard and skirts."

"It's all about the teasing, and not about the pleasing," Brittany spoke up. "Quinn taught us that one." Kitty nodded in agreement, and Brittany faced Santana and winked at her, remembering the moments the Unholy Trinity has had over the years. Santana couldn't agree more.

Ten minutes into the football game had passed, and Rachel couldn't help but smirk at the three girls beside her, cheering on the New Directions members on the field. "Woohoo, go Artie!" Tina called, shaking her pompons in the air as she watched the game. Rachel had forgotten how great friends the two of them were.

"Alright, let's go Puckerbros!" Kitty called, clapping her hands together.

"Come on, guys! You can do it!" Brittany called.

Rachel turned back to the game and noticed one of the boys, Ryder Lynn, running from Sam and Joe's father towards the touchdown area. Once there, all of the red-jersey boys started cheering, with Jake and Ryder bumping chests together. Oddly enough, it reminded Rachel of the day she had gone to the homecoming game in sophomore year when Finn and Puck scored a touchdown.

"Having fun yet, Miss Rachel Berry?" Mercedes called with an excited voice as she, Kurt, Quinn, and Mike made their way towards Santana and Rachel.

"Gladly," Rachel responded with a smile, and she turned back to the game, with the alumni sitting behind her and observing the sight before their eyes. Into the next round of the game, Sam was trying to throw the ball over to Blaine, who attempted to run past Jake and Noah's father, but tripped making it to the touchdown line. Tina could be heard clapping loudly, encouraging the boys to try their best.

At the end of the game, the score was 15 to 13, with the New Directions boys winning the title of Thanksgiving football champions.

* * *

It was around 12:45 p.m. Kurt thought that this would be the time to release the black and red balloons he had been saving for the end. He passed out a balloon to everyone that attended, and a candlelight vigil was placed in the center of the football field, with a framed photo of Finn Hudson lying in the middle.

"To Finn Hudson," Kurt began, speaking through a microphone that Will Schuester provided for him. "He was a brother, a friend, and a leader to all of us. No matter how many moments we've had with him, he still lifted us up either way. I'm sure when we all got our first impression of Finn, we saw the most polite and appreciative teenager in the world. He made the world a better place, not just for the glee club, but for everyone. Finn, we all stand here today as you watch us from the Pearly Gates, saying thank you for everything you've done for us. You shaped us in any way possible, and you're one of the best people we've ever gotten to know."

Mike and Mercedes stood there, holding their balloons and allowing tears to come down their face. Artie had a firm grip on his balloon and Tina's hand. The Asian girl was literally heartbroken, her sobs being heard in the crowd. Kitty embraced Tina in a hug. Brittany watched the sight of the two girls, and felt the need to break down herself. Luckily, Santana was by her side.

While everyone took a moment to remember Finn's life through their minds and eyes, Rachel was looking up at the sky, crying silently. She could easily see Finn's face from the clouds, even though it seemed to be her imagination. She wished it wasn't, though. She wanted nothing more than to see his beautiful face and kiss him for another lifetime. However, she knew that was impossible. He was in a better place, and Rachel knew that she would get to see him again. It would take a while, though.

"Thank you, Finn Hudson…for everything…" Kurt finished his speech, choking as tears came down his face.

"Thank you, Finn Hudson." Everyone spoke. As Kurt released his balloon in the air, others did the same. They all flew about in the sky, flying up towards the clouds. If Finn could see them now, he would be so honored, Kurt was certain.

"Thank you, Finn." Rachel choked out silently, earning an arm from Santana wrapped around her small body. "I love you."

* * *

**Author's Note**: To everyone celebrating it this day, happy Thanksgiving to you. To those watching Glee tonight, happy Glee day. And to Cory Monteith…rest easy, old friend. We'll never forget you.


End file.
